A dimension to live with: Mixed show offers open boundaries

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This month’s exhibition at the Upper Valley Art League is alive with creative dynamics.

The “UVAL 3-D Show” offers work from unexpected materials and points of view that bring the gallery to life. There are 37 works by 40 artists, which normally would be considered a large exhibit, but many of the works are small and share pedestals. Don’t be fooled by small scale; there are some fine works with strong charisma on display. It’s worth noting here that 2-D works, like paintings, are illusions on a flat surface, while 3-D art joins us in our physical space and facilitates our engagement.

I was particularly drawn to works that veered off the expected path in ingenious ways. Tattoo artist, Javier Luna, has used his tattoo ink/paint pens to draw on three life-sized silicon hands. ‘Maria de la Luz’ depicts a weeping face on the top of one hand. Drawn in a realistic style, it gives the illusion of genetics gone wrong; the fingers are brightly designed and end with black sections past the last joint. Luna used a quick sweeping motion that faintly shows his pen strokes.

Pat Cooper used woven computer cords for an object that describes itself with her “Waste Basket #1.” Yellow diagonal strips provide a dynamic design while the basic blue cords form playful ellipses to complete the rim of the basket.

Aly Schmidt and Della Thompson found inspiration in the building trade although they referenced different demographics. Schmidt’s “Building Block Four” embellishes a cinder block with patterned Mexican tile and mosaic pieces to form an appealing and engaging geometric work. Also falling into the appealing classification, Thompson addressed the basic birdhouse structure with a metal roof and glass mosaic façade with grapevine imagery against pale blue, mimicking a place in the landscape.

Traditional sculpture was overshadowed by ceramics, but “Ethereal Echoes,” a work in plaster by Adamary Gonzalez M, stands out with the dynamic play of its elegantly carved curvilinear relief shapes that form the overall work.

“Geometry” by Selina Hamilton is a ceramic sculpture that goes a 3-D step further with its rotating base, and Ben Varela moves us to inward festivity in “Hidden Mask,” an upbeat polychrome relief with a complexity of parts and friendly contrasts. Jewelry pieces are shown in different locations, but Nancy Algrim’s Japanese beads w/silk “Bow Tie” is the one to wear for outgoing festivity.

Clay works from a robust group of artist/makers who are still learning comprise a good portion of this show; they are not just producing craft; there are ideas at work here. Described as a work in progress, a display promotes the Clay Collective Project, coordinated by Marty Engelbrecht. A selection of completed tiles with different approaches ranging from flat surfaces to images in high relief are displayed and ultimately projected to be part of a tower. Two by four feet plywood sheets were cut into squares and rectangles for clay members to use to design a unique tile of their own.

“The tiles will form a display tower to be permanently placed in the annex’s clay area so that someone who is new to the clay group can hopefully gain some inspiration,” Engelbrecht explained. “It will also give visitors an idea as to what the clay area is about.”

This UVAL 3-D Show is visually and esthetically entertaining. Make a trip.

UVAL 3-D Show

WHERE: Kika de la Garza Fine Arts Center, 921 E. 12th St., Mission

WHEN: Through Nov. 30

HOURS: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday

INFORMATION: Call (956) 591-0282 or visit www.uppervalleyartleague.org

COST: Free and open to the public